In Martinique, the price of spare parts for cars, a symbol of the high cost of living

Equipped with their numbered tickets, a few customers wait for their turn in front of the counter of the Nouvelle Formula car scrapyard, in a rural valley in Lamentin, the second most populous commune in Martinique. “I came to get a power steering pump for my Seat Ibiza”confides Franck, 60 years old, from Fort-de-France. The car dealer offered him this part for 1,200 euros. “And yet, we don’t even have it right away: we have to order it”adds, in an irritated tone, this member of a 4 × 4 club. An unacceptable price for him: the same part is on sale on the Internet for only 400 euros, but e-retailers do not deliver to Martinique.

This time, the sixty-year-old will not need to ask his loved ones to have the part sent by parcel from France: the scrapyard gave him a quote of 130 euros for a used part, assembly included. Another customer leaves empty-handed: the gearbox for Citroën C3 was offered to him for 400 euros. “It’s crazy: on leboncoin, the average price is between 80 and 150 euros maximum”takes offense Manuel, a 58-year-old leather worker.

This mechanic enthusiast from Carbet is used to looking for spare parts, but he rarely buys them in the specialized stores of Martinique: these “charge the prices they want” because “there is not enough competition”he laments. Most often, the craftsman orders his items from Paris. Then he has them sent to him by relatives or brings them back himself in his luggage during his frequent plane trips. So, in June, he “recovered lots of pieces”of which ” a front bumper.

“There is no competition possible”

A long-standing source of discontent in the Antilles, the cost of living has sparked renewed tension in Martinique since 1^er September, the date on which a collective launched a series of demonstrations to demand a drop in prices in supermarkets. The demands of this movement focused on food products, which are, on average, 40% more expensive than in mainland France, according to an INSEE study published in July 2023. Thursday September 26, around forty representatives of The main economic and political actors were gathered again at the hotel of the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique, while trade union organizations called for a strike in support of the movement against the high cost of living. The first two round tables had been organized under the aegis of the prefecture since the start of the popular mobilization.

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